Oh. My. Gosh. 124. Reviews. *passes out*
Review Replies:
Amberflame805- :) Thank you for reviewing!
IJayI- Thankkkkk youuuuu!
Silverwillow of the Freljord- XD Ni'Lassu for reviewing! ;)
LakeStream- Yay! Here's another chappie!
Frostdawn- XD you know what? I did not even know what OTP meant until you reviewed that XD I am not exactly caught up with internet slang... yeah... So, I am still deciding who Rainpaw will end up with, because if it's Ash then I have to rewrite like the entire ending XD well, only tweak it a little bit. Yeah.
Stream That Flows Around Rock- Thanks! :3 I can't choose between AshxRain or StormxRain XD
rainpool777- :D Yeah! *high fives*
ScipioPB- Ikr! *growls* *chases dogs*
BlackLabrynith- Yesh, so now they are all going to go crazy :P Runningpaw annoys me. Want to help me come up with a warrior name for her, a really weird one? Like Runningear or something? XD
Dawnlight25- :D Yay! ;)
ZM- ha ha XD
Pikachudragon- Runningpaw is very oblivious, isn't she? XD Here is an update!
Nem- ok, here you are
Before I start, I have to say something that I thought was funny. Okay, here it is: My mom was reading this chapter out loud and she started using really weird voices for the characters, the exact opposite that what they were in my head... okay, never mind. That was random.
Okay, onto the chapter! ;)
Chapter 14
Thrushpaw felt Rainpaw freeze beside him as they watched the huge, slavering dogs bound back and forth across the hills, jostling any stray sheep and pushing them in a tight circle.
"Get down!" Rushingwind hissed, and every cat dropped lower in the grass. It wouldn't be long before the dogs noticed there were cats hiding in the grass.
Suddenly a smaller dog broke free and let out a long, drawn out howl. Its lips curled into a snarl, white teeth gleaming behind its mouth. The other two dogs swerved away from the sheep and began to follow him, hurtling straight towards the group.
"Run!"
Thrushpaw sprang from his crouch and dashed away, feeling Lilypaw's pelt brush against him as he ran. He glanced over at her, wincing to see her eyes wide with fear. "Don't worry." He panted, "We'll make it to safety."
Lilypaw nodded and quickened her pace, Thrushpaw admiring her graceful bound even though the dogs raced right behind him. He could feel their breath hot on his tail, and he sped up until it seemed he was flying over the moor.
Thrushpaw looked up, trying to spot his companions, but allowed himself a hiss of annoyance when he couldn't see them anywhere.
"Thrushpaw, up here!" a voice suddenly hissed. He glanced up, surprise lifting his gaze, as Rainpaw stared down at him from a nearby tree. He reached it in a single bound and clawed up the trunk, leaping onto the lowest branch just as the dogs crashed into the tree trunk.
Rainpaw snorted from the branch above him. "Can't they see where they're going? Stupid furballs." The dogs were looking at the tree, puzzled expressions wiped over their faces, before they trailed away reluctantly.
Thrushpaw turned to Rainpaw. "Let's go look for the others."
Rainpaw looked down at her brother and leaped down beside him. "Look up."
He glanced up in the branches of the oak, surprise lighting his gaze when the rest of the group emerge from clusters of leaves, looking disgruntled.
"Oh."
Rainpaw snorted. "Mouse-brain."
She narrowed in her eyes, recalling what had happened when she climbed up the tree.
Rainpaw was running, belly fur brushing the grass as she whipped across the grass. She risked a glance behind her, shuddering as the huge, tan dog loped a tail-length behind her.
"Up here!" Rainpaw started and looked up. A pair of unfamiliar grass-green eyes peered out of the shadows of an oak tree. Not stopping to think about who was up there, she leaped up in the air and sank her claws into the rough bark, then heaved herself up to the second-lowest branch. She turned down and spat at the dog, who was staring at her with a dumbfounded look, before it turned around and ran howling into the taller grass.
Suddenly Rainpaw remembered the cat who had rescued her, and turned awkwardly around to see a young silver tabby she cat and a brown she cat with blue-gray eyes looking at her. The rest of the group, minus Thrushpaw, crouched in the uppermost branches.
The brown tabby stepped forward. "Hello, I am Shauna, and this is-"
"Who are these cats?" Thrushpaw's puzzled mew brought her out of her thoughts.
Rainpaw was about to answer when the two cats cut in. "I'm Shauna." she repeated. "This is-"
"I'm Willow!" The silver tabby mewed cheerfully. She looked to be about Rainpaw's age.
Willow flicked her tail. "It's safe to go down now."
Rushingwind brushed past her and mewed, "Thank you, but we really have to be going now."
He leaped down the tree, and waited until the rest of the group followed him.
Willow circled around Rushingwind, Shauna sitting a tail-length away. "Where are you going?"
"To the mountains!" Streampaw broke in. "We're going to help the Tribe defeat an evil group of cats!"
Rushingwind glared at her, while Willow looked thoughtful.
"Is the lead cat's name Shadow?"
Moss gasped. "Yes!" She dashed forward at stared at Willow with wide eyes. "How did you know?!"
Shauna growled. "They drove my little sister, Willow, and I from our homes, as well as a few other loners. We lived in the forest at the foot of the mountains, but when the group came they attacked us. Stick was killed by Shadow." She added, grief sharpening her mew. "When Pumpkin and I gathered all the rogues to fight, he managed to ambush us and killed Stick as a warning to never come back. Stick was my brother."
Rainpaw bowed her head, as well as a few other Clan cats. She looked at her brother and tried to imagine what it would be like if she lost him. She didn't like the feeling.
Willow bounded forward. "Can we come with you?" She mewed desperately, kneading her paws in the ground. "Please? If I could get my claws on that mange-ridden flea-bitten furball, I'd-"
Rushingwind silenced her with a look. "Let me think for a moment."
Firebreeze padded up to him. "We should let them come." She murmured. "They would be an excellent addition, and their grief would make them strong to fight against the rogues. From what we've heard, those rogues are fierce. We need all the help we can get."
Rushingwind narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "True enough." Making his voice louder, he meowed, "Okay, you can come."
"Yes!" Willow exclaimed.
Shauna flicked her tail. "Great. Shadow better watch his back, because I am coming."
The group of cats slunk in the shadows, malice glinting in their eyes. They crouched in the cover of the low-growing bushes, watching the waterfall cascade down into the pool. A few figures guarded the entrance to the cave behind it, their eyes gleaming.
The hidden cats grumbled as a huge dark gray tom pushed by, muscles rippling and he strode to the front. He turned to the group.
"Tonight." He growled, ice blue eyes gleaming with hunger. "Tonight, we will attack. No one kill, we just want to scare them."
A ragged tortoiseshell raised her tail. "But Shadow!" She snarled. "If you want to scare them, why are we only attacking and not killing?"
He dipped his head. "Well said, Coriander. Let me explain it this way."
He unsheathed a single claw, and sliced his own pad. Blood spurted out of the wound.
Coriander's eyes narrowed. "We will attack and hurt them so badly that they will be to wounded, sick, or afraid to come outside and hunt for themselves. Then as they are weakened, " He smiled cruelly. "We will kill them all."
Shadow raised his voice even louder. "Next full moon, we will drive them away."
He narrowed his eyes. "But for now, let us... frighten our prey."
They group raised their voices in an eerie caterwaul, matching the tones of the wolves howling to the moon.
They slunk out of their hiding place, nothing more than a flicker of shadows at the edge of a cat's vision. They entered the cave as soon as the last cave-guard stepped inside.
Somewhere in the night, a wail of terror echoed in the sky.
I know, that last part was pretty bad, not my best work, etc etc etc. Winxclubfan1 and Silverwillow, I hope you liked where your OCs came in! :D
So, please review! In about 2-3 chapters, they will reach the mountains. Yay. What did you think about the group of evil cats? Did I do a good job portraying their malice? Please tell me!
